Rachel Reviews: Dreams from Communism: Satire from the Past, Lessons for the Present by Ian Christoff
A book of modern fables, charting Bulgaria's move from communism to democracy, told through people's stories and experiences
I really enjoyed Ian Christoff's book. It gave me an insight into a world that I knew existed but of which I had limited knowledge, and Christoff's series of short tales has gone some way to extending my awareness of the lives of comrades in Bulgaria. It was certainly an entertaining way to learn about what could be seen as a dark episode in that country's history and its emergence from it.
Each tale stands separately within the book and we are introduced to all manner of characters from all walks of life. There are factory workers and professors; husbands and wives; soldiers and engineers; drunkards and the devout. Christoff's style reminded me of fables, where it is less about the characterisation of the people and more about the message of the tale. Saying that, clear descriptions are given of the motivations and aspirations of the people concerned and occasionally, as readers, we see them, through dialogue, interacting with their peers, superiors and contemporaries.
Despite the constraints of communism, there are people who inevitably prosper as a result of their position or connections, sometimes abusing the power they have been given, whilst there are those who never seem to get a break and Christoff's stories show this inequality in its very human form, for example, the teacher who knows just which children to pick on without reprisal. This is where the satire comes in.
It was also present in the humour that permeated the book. As with all writers who have a good knowledge of human nature, Christoff is able to poke fun at his creations through the narrative, pointing out flaws. I think, for me, the book would have benefitted from more dialogue between characters as sometimes the stories were heavy on narratorial bolstering and personally, I like to explore characters through what they say, supported by the directions written by the author that shape the circumstances, the setting and the characters' inflections and gestures as they speak.
However, there is nothing to jar here, the book being well-written, flowing throughout and if short stories are something that you enjoy and you're looking for something a bit different about a subject with which you are unfamiliar especially if you love history, then this is a good book to choose.
Rachel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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Comments (6)
Deeming it a strong/high 3?
Interesting subject matter to be paired with fables, but I guess satire and politics always go hand in hand.
Evolution of Political Systems: 1. George keeps taking all the bananas. 2. Someone says, Wouldn't it be great if we all share equally?! 3. But no one is cooperating. We can only be equal, if a government forces us to be equal. 4. The government forcing us to do things is unpleasant. Revolution! 5. We're alone. The world is harsh being alone. 6. Let's form a tribe. 7. Our tribe keeps going to war with the other tribe. 8, Let's stop fighting and figure out what our purpose in life is. 9. Can't figure it out. Everyone argues about everything. 10. Meanwhile, George keeps taking all the bananas. Serbia and Croatia were just at #7 a few years ago. Europe at #9. America at #10
Happy to hear that sounds like a humorous book, not another NGO funded political book with an agenda. The world is all a mess, not a harry potter story of good vs evil despite how much the human mind craves for tribalism and us vs them stories.
My understanding of its principles is limited, save for readings of Animal Farm. But I think that equality would be one to question. Perhaps we have our second Orwell here!
I do love fables as they always have a moral of the story. But I'm the kinda person that heavily relies on dialogue. Like to me, lesser dialogues seem to slow down the story. So now I'm conflicted if I wanna add this book to my TBR lol